1036 
ME. PENGELLT ON THE LIONITES AND 
gravel at the base of the clay series *. Sometimes, but not frequently, small, well-rounded, 
smooth quartz pebbles, about the size of a common pea, occur in the best clay; and 
mundic is said to be not uncommon. 
The dip of the beds at this pit is about 8° towards N. 50° W. It is said to vary some- 
what both in amount and direction, but is generally less northerly than the above. As 
at the Decoy, the white clay underlies the black. 
Though lignite occurs here, it is less abundant than in either of the other areas which 
have been mentioned ; from the report of the workmen, however, it is occasionally found, 
especially in the pits more removed from the margin of the deposit, in larger bodies than 
in the section just given. Our search for fossils was altogether without success. 
At the suggestion of Dr. Falconer, and also of Sir Charles Lyell, it was decided to 
submit the collection of fossils, which we had made at Bovey, to Professor Heer of 
Ziiiich, m the hope that he would succeed in extracting from them their chronological 
secret. Accordingly, the necessary arrangements having been made by Sir Charles 
Lyell, I sent him all the drawings of the fossils, prepared by Mr. Fitch of Kew, together 
with a large and, so far as I could judge, characteristic series of the specimens them- 
selves, and in a short time had the gratification of learning that he had determined 
forty-five species of plants, of which forty-one were from the lignite series and four from 
the “ Head,” the former being decidedly of the lower miocene age, whilst the latter 
were much more modern. 
Though, when he subsequently reached this country. Professor Heer failed to detect, 
in the remainder (the bulk) of the collection, any species which he had not prewously 
seen, he was more fortunate at Bovey; where, in the few days he was able to devote to 
the deposit, he added nine new species of fossil plants to the list, and, by the discovery 
of an insect, Buprestes Falconeri, detected the first evidence of animal life which has 
been exhumed there. 
From the decision just mentioned, it appears that the Bovey lignites are the contem- 
poraries of the “Hempstead Beds” in the Isle of Wight, fii’st discovered by the late 
lamented Professor Edward Forbes in 1852, and described by him in the foUoufing 
year j*. Though their discoverer always regarded them as Upper Eocene, they have 
recently been grouped amongst the Lower Miocene J; this, however, is a question of 
classification ; wherever they find a resting-place, the Bovey beds must accompany them, 
since they are on, or very near, the same horizon. 
The ancient miocene lake of Devonshire which we have been considering, must have 
been of great depth ; the lowest figures mentioned in an earher page give at least 
35 fathoms, whilst, if to this we add those obtained from the “ fault,” it amounts to 
fully 50 fathoms ; indeed the clay-workers assert that their borings sometimes amount 
to quite this depth. The present surface of the plain, however, is, at the pit, no more 
* See Mr. G-odwix-Attsteu', in Trans. Gfeol. Soc. 2nd Series, vol. vi. part 2, p. 448 ; also Sir H. De la 
Beche, in his ‘Eeport,’ p. 2.57. 
t Quart. Joum. Geol. Soc. vol. ix. p. 259, &c. 
f Sir C. Ltell’s ‘ Supplement’ to the fifth edition of his ‘ Manual,’ p. fi, &c., 1857. 
